Hearts on Fire
by HottScott23
Summary: Tree Hill isn't the happy go lucky town it once was anymore. Not since the incident. Nothing's the same and it doesn't seem it will ever go back to being normal whatever that is anyway.
1. The Heart's Pain and Suffering

**The Heart's Pain and Suffering**

"Let me go! Leave me alone. I don't want you, I don't need you!" She screamed helplessly. He had already wrapped his strong arms around her as she whispered empty assurances into her ear. As she felt his hot breath hit her cool skin, she fell to the ground crying hysterically, gathered in his arms. In his arms, where she once felt safe, safe from the world.

But now, she couldn't bear to stay in his strong, protective arms. She would fall into the pattern again. She would fall into the pattern where, she'd grow accustomed to his presence; she'd rely on him more and more until she couldn't live without him. That's when it would happen. He would be stolen from her. She couldn't bear the feeling of losing someone again – especially not him.

So, as she lay in arms that night, her head resting on his chest as he slept, she made her decision. Her eyes flitted towards the clock on his bedside table. It was five twenty three in the morning. A lone tear trickled down her skin as she saw the twenty three. His number. It always would be his. Always and Forever.

The next morning he awoke to find only himself lying in his bed. Missing the warmth next to him, he called her name out loud a few times. When there was no response, he walked downstairs, decked only in his basketball shorts. Fifteen minutes later, he was knocking on her house door, in hopes of finding her there. Another twenty minutes later and the whole of Tree Hill were looking for her. Nathan was speeding down the town in his black SUV, swallowing back the lump forming in his throat.

Ten days later, he was staring out of his window, in the same black sweatshirt and similar black basketball shorts he had been in for days, he knew they were her favourite. He had his arms crossed over his chest, sighing heavily as he heard his mom enter the room. She didn't attempt to say anything at first. She simply looked around the room; she saw what seemed like thousands of pictures of her son and his girlfriend. They seem so innocent and carefree in them, she almost wished they were living in a nightmare and would one day wake up to it being the way it was. She treated her like her own daughter. She let some tears escape her tired eyes as she reminisced, quickly brushing them away, looking over to her son who, standing stoically by the window, looked so much older then seventeen. She just wanted her baby back. Was that so much to ask? He was always the youngest of the family, and always held a special key his mother's heart. It was ironic how even though he was the youngest of the family, he had been through more than any of them had in their long lifetimes.

Sighing once again, he turned to face his mother. She sat down on his bed inviting him to sit beside her. Seeing her tear streaked face, he obliged, facing her.

"I miss her mom." He said, the pain evident in his once strong voice. "I need her. I need to know that she's alright. That she's happy, that she doesn't feel the empty void in my heart without her or her parents." He continued.

"Oh sweetie, I know. I know it's hard for you, but I can't make you empty promises. I won't promise you that she'll come back and you'll live happily ever after. You can shout and scream and fight all you want, grieve Nathan! I haven't seen you shed a tear since she left. I haven't seen you get angry; I haven't seen you go off the rails the slightest bit. And that does make me proud – but as a mother, I worry. I worry for you, you were never one to open up or show your emotions and I just feel that you should do whatever you feel necessary." Karen Scott was everyone's mother. She was always there when anyone in Tree Hill needed a shoulder to cry on, she always gave free advice to anyone who seeked it and here she was in front of her youngest son, trying to comfort him as best as she could.

And so began the downfall of the Tree Hill's very own Nathan Scott.

To Be Continued…….

**Author's Note: So this is my new fic 'Hearts on Fire'. I would really love some response on your thoughts towards it and if you think it should be continued. This is quite different from my other fic 'Lost Soul' if you have been reading it. If you haven't check it out and leave a review! For all you 'Lost Soul' readers, don't worry, I haven't given it up yet – I'm just having difficulty with it. So PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW on what you thought of this fic. This chapter is quite short I know, but I just wanted to see the response I get and give you guys an introduction. So there it is the first chapter to 'Hearts on Fire'. **

**If you are confused then don't worry – it'll be cleared up soon enough ;) lol!**


	2. Being Without You

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait in the update! I'll try and update more often from now! Hope you like this chapter, please review – they really encourage me to write more – and faster! I know I left the disclaimer off the last chapter and I'll probably forget again so this one applies to the whole story.**

**(Letters in bold italics are lyrics to the song Still Holding Out For You by SheDaisy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or anything to do with it. Neither do I own Still Holding Out For You by SheDaisy.**

2. Being Without You

She sat on the edge of her bed and finally let the tears roll down her cheeks. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before re opening them. She took a long look around the room, surveying every piece intently. Getting up from her position, she picked up a framed photograph of _them_. Her heart felt dull and ached continuously, she knew he would help her. She knew he would rush over to her and be her saviour. He truly was her knight in shining armour and that's what scared her sometimes. What would happen if they were apart? What would she do without him? She knew she left him heart broken, but it was for the best. She couldn't deal with everything in Tree Hill right now, so she had come to her home in Charleston. No-one knew about her other home and she was beyond relieved at that fact. She didn't want anyone to see her in her current state. They were all the same in Tree Hill; they all hid their true feelings – leading to the drama that occurred on a daily basis. But no matter what happened, it was alright, because _they_ were there and that was all she needed – other than the love of her life who was currently tossing and turning in his bed at home in Tree Hill……….

'_I need her. She has to be alright – what am I going to do without her?' I need to get out of here.'_

_**Never thought I'd be in this place**_

_**Someone else's life I'm living **_

_**Wish I were living a lie**_

Having reached his destination, Nathan began shooting hoops at the Rivercourt – his sanctuary before she had entered his life. He remembered her smile. Her angelic smile that still made him swoon.

_**The hardest part is when the bough breaks**_

_**Falling down and then forgiving **_

_**You didn't kiss me goodbye**_

Dribbling the ball he had brought up the court, he jumped up to dunk it through the hoop, closing his eyes, seeing her own pair staring back at him. Her beautiful, captivating eyes. His smile had faded by the time he reached the ground as he thought of how the last time he had seen her eyes; they were filled with unshed tears. He needed to see her. To wash away her fears. He couldn't leave her – she was alone without anyone to look after her. Without anyone to make Mac 'n' Cheese for her. Without anyone to ramble on about politics with her. He missed her. He worried for her. He was scared for her.

_**I'm choking on the words I didn't get to say **_

_**And pray I get the chance one day**_

And as much as she hated to admit it – she was too. She needed someone. But she wouldn't let Nathan help her, she wouldn't. So instead, she called the one person she could depend on, the one person who could understand.

_**I still run, I still swing open the door**_

_**I still think, you'll be there like before**_

**_Doesn't everybody out there know to never come around?_**

_**Some things a heart won't listen to**_

_**I'm still holding out for you**_

Her trembling hands dialled the numbers carefully and slowly.

"Hello?" The person on the receiving end asked.

But nothing came out of her mouth.

"Hello?"

She tried, but still, words wouldn't form.

"Who is this?"

She willed herself to speak. She knew she could.

"Is that you?"

_Speak. Speak. Speak._ She chanted the words in her head, if only she could say them out loud.

"Please, if it's you, tell me where you are. Please."

_It is me. I need you. I need someone. Help. _She thought. But instead of speaking, she broke down into an uncontrollable fit of cries. And still, the receiver held on. And after she had controlled her emotions, she whispered into the phone,

"Peyton?"

"I'm here honey."

"Will you meet me somewhere?"

"Sure thing."

And before she knew it, Peyton was with her in Charleston, rocking her as she cried.

"Peyton?" She whispered.

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell anyone where I am. I just need to be alone for a while and do some stuff."

"Sure thing." She knew what it was like, going through that kind of pain and she knew she should let her do whatever she felt necessary. She sometimes wondered if it would have been better if she had stayed away for a while herself. "But remember, I'm your best friend and nothing can change that. So call me whenever you want to and don't go too far from Tree Hill." She replied, before she left.

It was two months since Peyton had seen her. No-one had heard from her. The town was still moving on from the recent tragedy, but Nathan was worse than a train wreck.

_**I can hear you smile in the dark**_

_**I can even feel you breathing**_

_**But daylight chases the ghosts**_

_**I see your coat and I fall apart**_

_**To those hints of you I'm clinging**_

_**Now's when I need them most**_

_**I should get up, dry my eyes and move ahead**_

_**At least that's what you would have said**_

He barely slept anymore, hardly ate and all he breathed was basketball. He missed them, but he missed her more. So he threw himself into the one thing he knew wouldn't leave him – basketball.

"Hey Nathan, do you want to go shoot some hoops?" Lucas asked as he walked into his brother's room.

"Hmm." He replied. Lucas sighed. His brother had been like this since she left and so far, there was no sign of him getting better. He would mope around the house and grabbed any opportunity to play the game they both shared a love for – basketball. If only she would come back, only then would Nathan be whole again. Only then would the town stop feeling like a ghost town and return to life.

It was later that night and Nathan was still tossing and turning in his bed, restlessly. He couldn't take his mind off her, it was all he breathed and every time he slept, he dreamt of the good times they shared and that would just make waking up in the morning even harder. He tried to go back to trying to living a normal life again, but without the sight of his beautiful girlfriend waking him up every morning, without the comfort of her parents, without the smell of her jasmine and honey perfume intoxicating his every moment, it just didn't seem worth it any longer. All he wanted to do was find her, comfort her and capture the feeling of being with her and never letting it go, for now, all he felt was empty and numb.

_**I still run, I still swing open the door**_

_**I still think, you'll be there like before**_

_**Doesn't everybody out there know to never come around**_

_**Some things a heart won't listen to**_

_**I'm still holding out for you**_

_**Faithfully, I trace your name while you sleep**_

_**It's the only true comfort I feel**_

And that's when he heard it.

He could smell it.

He could feel it tingling in his veins.

He could almost breathe the intoxicating scent.

Sparks of his heart's emotion electrocuted his skin.

His heart began to thump louder and louder

faster and faster.

He descended the steps slowly and surely, scared of what he would find.

His feet felt the coldness of the kitchen tiles as he tiptoed across the room towards the back door.

His hand froze on the door knob.

Did he want to know what was on the other side of the door?

Would it simply be another let down?

And more importantly, did he want to risk the heartbreak all over again?

With one deep breath he opened the door only to find nothing there.

Absolutely nothing.

He walked outside to the beach, barefoot, clad in basketball shorts and an oversized t-shirt. He stood by the water, closing his eyes. He breathed in and out a few times, taking in the familiar scent of the salty air – and that's when he caught it.

That smell. He had smelt that scent before. It took him a few seconds to figure it out, but when he did, his heart began to beat faster again and despite his best efforts to suppress the feeling of hope, he found he couldn't. The overwhelming sense of hope, fear and love crashed down on Nathan in that instant and all he could do was whisper,

"Jasmine and Honey," as he felt a pair of small hands find their way around his waist, hugging him from behind.

_**I still run, I still swing open the door**_

_**I still think you'll be there like before**_

_**I still run, I still swing open the door**_

_**I still think, you'll be there like before**_

_**Doesn't everybody out there know to never come around**_

_**Some things a heart won't listen to**_

_**I'm still holding out for you**_

_**Holding out**_

_**Holding out for you**_

**Author's Note: Please Review**


	3. Listen to the Beat of Your Heart

**Recap:**

**That smell. He had smelt that scent before. It took him a few seconds to figure it out, but when he did, his heart began to beat faster again and despite his best efforts to suppress the feeling of hope, he found he couldn't. The overwhelming sense of hope, fear and love crashed down on Nathan in that instant and all he could do was whisper,**

"**Jasmine and Honey," as he felt a pair of small hands find their way around his waist, hugging him from behind. **

3. Listen to the Beat of Your Heart

"_Home is where the heart is."_

She drove towards the small town that she called home. Flashes of green passed her in the form of trees and the heat emitted by the circle of fire in the sky could be felt by all. The cold air hit her harshly as she switched the air conditioner on and she accelerated past the 'Welcome' sign and into Tree Hill. Children played by the sidewalk while their mothers chatted to each other. Couples walked into familiar cafés and wore smiles on their faces, their eyes twinkling with happiness. This was the life she had seen for most of her life. This was the life she had lived for most of her life. What was it all for? Why should she be happy? What would she gain? They were all going to die in the end. Nothing lasted, especially emotions. There was no purpose to life anymore; she had nothing to live for. In the end, pain and suffering would always haunt you, no matter what kind of life you lived, the end was always near, lurking behind you as your shadow.

She had spent the last few months in Charleston. It wasn't too far from here, but just far enough to get away from all the drama without being found. She hoped he'd give up trying to find her eventually. She hoped he'd come to some sort of understanding.

All she wished for was that he didn't resent her for it. She hoped he didn't hate her for leaving him. She left because she needed to know that she didn't need to depend on anyone. She had enough money to last her for a short while and until then she would learn how to deal with everything alone before she returned to Tree Hill. As she reflected upon this, she saw his muscular body run up the Rivercourt continuously dribbling a basketball up and down the court. She parked the Jeep behind some trees and watched him play. And she sat there watching him for what must have been more than an hour until she saw Lucas' familiar truck pull up on the other side of the Rivercourt.

Through the foliage, she then witnessed the true effect of the recent hurricane of pain. It had ravaged their town and hurt them all, but what she didn't know was how broken Nathan was. She didn't know the effect it had left on him – and for the first time Haley James truly saw Nathan Scott as a broken man.

"Nathan, you've been here since six in the morning!" Lucas shrieked. Haley glanced at her wrist watch; it was now a little after one in the afternoon – had he really been here all that time?

"Why do you care Lucas?" Nathan bit back. He didn't want to deal with his brother right now.

"Because I'm your brother and you need my help."

"No, you're wrong, I don't. Now get out of my way and let me play basketball." Nathan shot out, trying to convince himself more than Lucas.

Instead, Lucas grabbed the ball from him and threw it to the foot of the bleachers.

"You know you're going to have to talk to me soon. Why not now?"

"Because I don't need you." Nathan replied in a less hostile tone now.

"I know that, but you do need Haley." Nathan's head whipped around at the mention of her name and his heart began to beat wildly inside his chest. He knew Lucas was right, but to hear it out loud made everything too real. Defeated, he walked over to the bleachers and sat down.

"You're right." He whispered.

Lucas didn't respond, he simply sat next to his brother and waited.

Nathan took a deep breath and looked around. Haley froze - what if he spotted her?

However, he simply looked to his left at Lucas and said,

"I miss her." After pausing for a moment, he spoke again, "and I'm scared." Just then did he break down, tears

And in that instant, Haley's heart broke all over again. It didn't matter how hard it had been to continue life after the incident anymore, it didn't matter how hurt she was, it didn't matter how crushed she had been. The great Nathan Scott of Tree Hill had finally fallen – and Haley James was the cause. So she climbed back into her car and quietly pulled out, going unnoticed by the Scott brothers.

She drove down to the beach and halted abruptly. It was then that her hands began to trembler and her lips quivered ever so slightly. Tears filled her round, hazel eyes and as she closed them a teardrop rolled down her face sparking a sudden outburst of uncontrollable cries. Her sudden eruption of tears caused her mind to go back to the very first time they met.

_She came out of her new home dressed in sports attire trying to explore the town. Just as she stepped onto the sidewalk, a large shadow blocked the brightness of the sun that was beating down on the quiet town. _

"_Can I help you?" The shadow turned out to be a man. 'A man with astonishingly deep, blue eyes...' Haley thought. Realising she was drifting off subject, Haley spoke,_

"_And you would be?"_

"_Nathan Scott." He replied smirking. A small 'o' formed the shape of Haley's face as she recalled what she had been told about him. Seeing this, Nathan became defensive._

"_Oh, I see. You're going to judge me on what you've heard. Well you know what? I've had enough. I don't have to deal with your bullshit. You either want to sleep with me or you think I'm some kind of man-whore and want to get the hell away from me! Well I'm going to do us both a favor and back off now." He blew out. _

_Haley only smiled at his frustration._

"_What?" Nathan snapped._

"_Nothing, I just liked the way you assumed that I was going to judge you on what I've heard from other people." Nathan, still confused by her reaction, furrowed his eyebrows. Haley simply continued. _

"_Look, I'm not going to deny that I haven't heard things about you because I have and trust me – they're not pretty. But I'm not going to be prejudiced against you simply because others are. I think I have the right to make my own decision about you – do I not?" She asked, smirking back at him. He stuttered for a good few seconds before answering._

"_Sure you do……" He said before trailing off trying unsuccessfully to remember the last time anyone – let alone a girl – made him stutter before. Haley just smiled and linked arms with him. _

"_Show me around town?" She asked, looking up at him._

"_Sure thing. Are you hungry?"_

"_Starved." She replied. And so he took her to Karen's Café where she met his mom for the very first time. They chatted comfortably and when they finally sat down to eat, Nathan and Haley seemed to have their first 'real' conversation. _

_It started off in pure silence. The two were staring at each other listening to the endless amount of customers bustle past them in a hurry. Haley could have sworn she saw sparks fly from Nathan's cerulean blue eyes as she continued to taunt him with her eyes. She knew he had questions – and she would answer them – just not yet. Noticing her smirk, Nathan blinked and said,_

"_What?"_

_She merely smiled at him and his innocence. She knew what everyone thought of Nathan. She knew that she should be careful of him and that she should watch where she stepped with him, but a part of her enjoyed playing games with him – even though she had only met him for a short while. And if there was one thing she knew about Nathan Scott it was that he was unbearably impatient and **had **to be in the know. He couldn't stand unanswered questions flying around him. And he **hated **not knowing anything about her. Including her name. She had purposely kept her name a secret, seeing how long it would take him to finally crack and ask. And he knew this too. _

"_Fine, I give. What **is **your name?" Nathan asked, breathing a heavy sigh of defeat. _

"_Nah ah, you're going to have work harder than that." She replied finishing her mug of coffee._

"_Work harder for your name? What kind of rubbish is that?" He questioned, baffled. _

_Laughing, she spoke,_

"_Answer three questions for me first." Getting up from the table by the window, Nathan motioned for her to follow him outside while agreeing to her demand. Once outside, they began walking slowly, their arms still linked._

"_Why did you ask if I wanted your help instead of going to play basketball?" She asked, then remembering something, she added, "and don't tell me it was because I'm hot. I already know you thought that. Tell me the real reason." _

_Nathan, puzzled by her quick assessment of him, answered,_

"_Well, I came to you because you intrigued me. I have lived here my entire life and still haven't seen you. I wanted to know you. And by the way how did you know I was going to play basketball? I could have been going to library for all you know." _

_Haley burst out laughing at that comment. _

"_You? Picking up a book? Impossible. Besides my dad's knows quite a bit about basketball himself. Let's just say that he likes watching **every** basketball game there is and knowing **everything **he could possibly know about the players."_

"_How do you know so much about me? This is freaking me out. I mean I know I'm me, but seriously, this stalking is weird. So you're dad's a fan of basketball he can't know this much about me."_

"_Well, he does and anyways I'm meant to be asking the questions here. Question two; tell me honestly, where do you want to go after senior year?" _

'_Weird question, why did I ask that?' She thought to herself after the words had tumbled out of her mouth._

"_Duke. You should know that." He replied without thinking twice._

"_Oh, please, everyone says that. Where do you want to go?"_

"_I said, Duke."_

"_That's not true."_

"_Oh, and you know so much about me now do you?" Nathan asked, becoming frustrated._

"_Why do you shield yourself? I'm not blind and I probably know more about you than most people do. I don't understand why you let people pressure you so easily." Haley blew out. 'Why I am so interested in him? I've only known him for a couple of hours if that…But you know that's not true." Her thoughts waged a war in her head as she watched him grow more and more irate._

"_You know what? This is ridiculous, I don't know who you are and obviously I shouldn't continue to try and find out. You can get home yourself!" Nathan fumed and trudged off the opposite direction. Half a minute later he felt a small hand on his shoulder slowing him down._

"_I'm sorry Nathan. I didn't mean to anger you. I just wanted to figure you out. I realise this approach wasn't the right one." Hearing no response and seeing no emotions in eyes, she continued,_

"_My name's Haley James and yes I am Jimmy James' daughter. I'm going to live next door to you for what seems like a long time and Jimmy James **is **in fact the basketball scout you think he is. I understand that you probably don't want to talk to me right now so I'm going to go." And with that, she ran off to her new home in Tree Hill. _

_Later that evening, Nathan was coming home from a jog when he saw her sitting on the steps of the house next door. Smiling, he shouted,_

"_You never managed to ask me your third question."_

_She smiled back, "Take me to school tomorrow?"_

"_Sure thing." Was all he said before shaking his head at the effect this girl had on him and ran up the steps and into to his own home._

Snapping back into reality, Haley looked up. She needed to find him. She needed to explain. She needed to show her love for him. She needed him and she knew he needed her. They were each other's everything and no matter what fate threw at them, they'd make it through together.

"Always. Always and Forever." She whispered to herself.

She was walking down the beach, hugging herself as the cool summer breeze became ever so slightly stronger. She remembered how she had never needed to carry a jumper with her, she would either wear Nathan's basketball jersey or simply hug him closer. But she didn't have that option any longer. Looking up, she saw the sun had set and the moon was out. At the same time she noticed the dark figure ahead of her. Her hands began to quiver and her eyes felt the warm water fill them for the hundredth time that day. All because of the same reason. The man in front of her. The man standing facing the sea with his arms crossed across his chest. The man she would never forget. The man she could point out in total darkness. The man her heart ached for. The man who would save her. The man who would become not just her hero but her angel over time. The angel who would shield her, who would love her and who would never leave her.

And so she walked up to him from behind and placed her hands around his waist, hugging him, her head placed on his back. After a few minutes of pure silence she heard her angel whisper softly,

"Jasmine and Honey."

**Author's Note: Thank you VERY much for all the reviews I received. I appreciate them greatly. Sorry for the long wait but I couldn't write for several weeks for different reasons. I hope the wait was worthwhile though and that you all understood how the ending of this chapter merged with the ending of the last chapter. I put the recap there in case you guys had forgotten what was going on – I know, I'll update sooner now. Once again thank you very much for the reviews and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I'll stop babbling now. Review please!**


	4. Rhythms of the Heart

**Author's Note: **

**Dang'rous-Love.23 – Thank you very much for the review and thank you for the compliment!**

**TutorWife23 – Well, here's your update and I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

**chelle2911 – Thank you for reviewing!**

**xSmile – I'm happy you liked the first meeting! There will be more flashbacks soon.**

**Daygoner – Do I have to say anything? Thanks for the review and thanks for helping me write this thing – love ya!**

**xxbabii – Well I'm happy that you're happy I updated and I'm glad you had fun reading Naley's first encounter.**

**Nathanlvr – Thank you for reviewing! And we'll have to see about a happy reunion in this chapter now won't we?**

**WBblued34 – Thank you for reviewing!**

**Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed! All of the reviews really motivated me to write more and knowing that people like my story makes my week! Secondly, I'd like to apologise for the shortness of this chapter, I just felt that it would be ruined if I wrote anymore and I wanted to end this chapter the way that I did. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter and please review, whether you liked it or not. I'd love to hear what y'all think about it even if you only drop a few words it would greatly appreciated by me!**

4. Rhythms of the Heart

'_He loves me, he loves me not.'_

The soft light of the moon shone softly upon the sandy beach as the pair walked along the shoreline. Haley's head rested gently on Nathan's shoulder as silence washed over the bay. Their hands were slightly grazing one another's – neither daring to move away, neither daring to move closer. Her blood was pumping through her veins with anticipation while his heart was still stinging for the heartbreak he had suffered – and neither attempted to the break the stillness and instead chose to suffer in silence.

Looking up towards the night sky, Nathan exhaled deeply, staring at the moon, almost willing it to turn back time. But he held no such luck. Instead, he continued to walk in silence next to Haley, afraid to speak, fearing his emotions would betray their love.

As he thought this, Haley's emotions conflicted with his. The deathly silence was killing her inside and with each step she took, the faster she heard her heart beat and the more she felt her eyes threaten to well up with tears. His silence was terrifying her. He never hid behind his mask when he was with her – and now it seemed as if they belonged to two separate worlds. Not being able to stand it any longer, she broke the calm, serene atmosphere and let her hurt, angry, scared feelings come crashing down upon Nathan.

But instead all that managed to come out was,

"I'm sorry." Her own words surprised her. They had come out in a soft whisper and were spoken with utmost sincerity. And even though she hadn't intended on saying those words, she still meant them. His reaction though, shocked the both of them even more.

"I know." Was all he said. And with that he walked away, leaving Haley behind him, dazed and confused – but most of all hurt. She felt the pain course through her body repeatedly sending shockwaves down her nerves as she walked home, wherever that was, listening to his deep, hollow voice continually saying 'I know'. He spoke those two words as if he was entirely numb and yet his eyes held a whirlwind of emotions that were indecipherable to her and everyone else for miles around. He had retreated into his old form of a closed book long ago, but Haley was seeing this for the first time tonight. She didn't understand what he meant by this and she didn't want to. All she wanted was for her life to go back to normal, where she could be as carefree as she liked and where she wouldn't have to stay awake all night while her heart shivered with loneliness. She wanted to go back to the times where she would come to a house filled with people who loved her. But most of all she wanted to wake up, rush out of her house and jump into his strong, muscular arms. She wanted to look into his passionate azure blue eyes and kiss him senseless. But unfortunately, as she reached the door to her 'home', all she could think of was the phrase – 'you don't always get what you want'.

"You don't always get what you want." She said to herself, shaking her head and entering the shell of the home she once lived in.

And sitting on the doorsteps of the house next door, Nathan whispered,

"But I'll fight life itself to make sure _you _get everything you want." And after a pause he spoke again, "Only sometimes my heart doesn't have the strength to carry on fighting because it's weakened by the power you hold over me."


End file.
